East Cornwall · PL22
Extensions for Lostwithiel (PL22)
Extensions are the bread and butter of Cornish homes — adding the kitchen-diner the original layout never had, the bedroom for a growing family, or the light and views the back of the house should always have had. Working in Lostwithiel means starting from the PL22 context — Lostwithiel is a medieval town on the river Fowey, formerly the capital of Cornwall, with a strong antiques trade, a Norman church and an extensive Conservation Area, with a building stock that leans toward Victorian terraces and post-war estates.
Lostwithiel sits in East Cornwall — covering PL22 from Fowey outward.
- Conservation Area
- ✓ Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓ Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓ Same team on paper as on site
Our process
How a Lostwithiel extension project runs.
Step 1
Brief
We meet on site, talk through how you live now and what's missing from the current layout.
Step 2
Design
Two or three sketch directions with rough budgets, then refinement of the chosen route.
Step 3
Approvals
Planning or Cert of Lawfulness, then a full building regs package.
Step 4
Build
Either through your own builder with our drawings, or as a full build by our team.
Step 5
Handover
Snag, certify, hand over the keys to your new space.
Typical single-storey rear extensions run twelve to twenty weeks on site; two-storey and wraparound projects sixteen to thirty weeks.
Local proof — Recent extension enquiries from Lostwithiel have clustered around Victorian terraces — we know the route through Cornwall Council on these.
Get a free feasibility viewWhat we focus on
Extensions considerations specific to Lostwithiel.
01
Extensions over a certain proportion of the original house trigger full Part L upgrade obligations to the existing building — worth knowing before brief is set.
02
Cornish granite and slate-hung walls react differently to new openings than modern brickwork — lintel choice and structural sequencing matter.
03
Wind and sea-spray exposure can drive material choices on west-facing extensions; we detail accordingly.
04
Drainage on older Cornish properties is rarely on a clean modern map; CCTV survey before design is often money well spent.
Local context
Why Lostwithiel is its own job.
In Lostwithiel the planning picture is specific: conservation Area is extensive, covering the medieval streets, the church and the riverside. Listed buildings are very common; flood zone designation affects properties near the river. For extension specifically, parts of Lostwithiel sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape. That local reading is what makes a Lostwithiel (PL22) project different from a generic Cornwall scheme — and is the whole reason we work this way. On Victorian terraces in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Tywardreath — the extension brief always has to read the existing fabric first.
Planning note
Most extensions in Cornwall are either permitted development or a straightforward householder application — but Conservation Area and AONB sites need a more careful design conversation upfront.
Local watch-list
The PL22 constraints that shape a extension brief.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Lostwithiel
Local fabric
What sets a Lostwithiel extension brief apart.
Building stock
Across Lostwithiel (PL22) we work on medieval and Georgian merchants' houses, Victorian terraces, Edwardian villas, post-war estates, modern infill on tight town-edge plots. Each stock type drives a different extension response — Victorian terraces in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Lostwithiel is its own town in East Cornwall, with planning history that's specific to the PL22 catchment.
Coverage
We cover PL22 from our studio, with regular extension jobs also running in Fowey, Tywardreath. Most Lostwithiel site visits get booked within the same week.
Can you handle both planning and build in Lostwithiel?
Yes — design, planning, building regs and full construction run under one roof. For clients with an existing Lostwithiel builder we can stop at a tender-ready Full Plans pack instead.
Request a free visitWho this is for
Lostwithiel runs the full mix — owner-occupier, holiday-let, commercial and the occasional smallholding — so we scope every extension enquiry from the use-class up.
FAQs
Lostwithiel Extensions — local questions answered.
- Can you handle the build as well as the design?
- Yes — that's the whole point of the studio. One contract, one point of contact, no finger-pointing between architect and builder when something needs a decision on site. In Lostwithiel specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- What about the Party Wall Act?
- If you share a wall with a neighbour or build close to a boundary, the Act applies. We flag it early, recommend a surveyor and keep the programme aligned with the notice period.
- How much does an extension cost in Cornwall?
- Build costs in Cornwall typically run from around £2,200 to £3,200 per square metre for a good-quality single-storey extension, more for kitchen-grade fit-out or complex glazing. We give a realistic budget before drawings start, not after.
- Will my house be liveable during the build?
- For most rear and side extensions, yes — we sequence the works so the kitchen and one bathroom stay functional until the new build is watertight and connected.
- How long does the whole process take?
- Allow roughly three months for design and approvals, then twelve to twenty weeks on site for a typical single-storey extension. Wraparounds and two-storey add-ons take longer, mostly through approval and groundworks.
Other services in Lostwithiel
Nearby places we cover
If you're balancing ambition against PL22 planning realism, our Lostwithiel extension work threads that needle without the usual drama.